camellias and their colors
by Spooky ghost flower
Summary: Matt is a ghost. One day he saves a boy named Mello from being crushed by a box. But something about Mello makes Matt want to stick around for awhile.
1. matt is a ghost

Matt was a pretty nice ghost. He usually did kind little things to people randomly through the day. It bugged him when he saw poltergeists harming pleasant families. Of course, he never went so out of his way to help someone that they were alerted of his presence. Some spirits could move objects easily, and some could appear easily. Matt was the former. He supposed that he might freak people out anyways if they saw him, what with his bullet wounds. Other than the gaping holes of bloody flesh, he looked like a normal nerdy dude in his heyday. When he was alive he absolutely loved video games, and even now he snuck into gaming stores to play a few rounds.

Right now he was strolling through a Best Buy. The technology store was one of his daily haunts. Barely anyone was there, so he headed to his favorite section. It sucked that only the stupid games were on display to play. He sighed and reached for an Xbox controller. No one was around him, and if the cameras caught a floating game controller he would just move to a different store. Just as he was about to press play, he heard footsteps. Matt quickly put the controller back, and flinched when it clinked against the display. A loud crunch echoed across the aisle. The strange noise made Matt curious, and he drifted over.

There was a boy looking at cameras. He was one of the oddest looking humans Matt had seen. The boy was wearing lots of leather and a rosary, and had a long, messy, blonde bob. A scar ran down his face, and large sunglasses covered his eyes. He paused from looking at a camera's features to take a bite of a chocolate bar. The sound disturbed the quiet. Matt came closer to look at the boy's expression. For a second, they made eye contact. This startled him enough to float behind a bin.

He peeked his head out. The boy whispered, "That was weird," before setting the camera down. Matt felt a wave of relief wash over him. As the boy moved on to a different aisle, Matt followed. He was intrigued. Obviously the boy had somehow seen him, even if only for a millisecond, and Matt normally had to concentrate really hard for that stuff to happen. The boy stopped by a shelf. The shelf held computer boxes, and there was an especially large one above the boy's head.

Matt watched as the boy read the label. An employee pulling a cart pulled it to a stop, then left. The cart started rolling a bit. It was probably going to crash into something. That something happened to be the shelf. It sent a shockwave through the shelf, and that was what made the computer box rock. Matt's eyes widened as the box fell right over the boy's head. He caught it.

The boy stared in wonder as the box floated over his head. "I have superpowers," he whispered. The his face broke out in the biggest smile Matt had ever seen.


	2. at the small grey house

Matt honestly didn't know why he decided to follow the boy around. Maybe it was because he was so interesting. Maybe it was because of the scar. Maybe it was because he didn't know the boy's name. As Matt joined him on the city bus, he realized something. Sooner or later, the boy would register that he didn't actually have superpowers. He would be so disappointed. And of course, Matt would feel guilty, because he was the one who made him think it in the first place. Darn it, why did Matt have to be so nice?

The boy sat down on a seat and took out his phone. He quickly dialed someone. "Hey L! Guess what? I have superpowers! No, I'm not intoxicated. No, I'm not on drugs. Listen, I'll just show you when I get home."

He hung up and stared out the window. His face became oddly serene, and the passing buildings reflected in his eyes. Soon, they reached a neighborhood, and the boy got off. Matt followed him to a small, grey house. It had a messy front yard and large windows blocked by curtains. The boy dug out keys from a pocket and went inside.

Ghosts are able to roam wherever they want, as long as they're at least 50 miles away from their place of death. If they get too close to their place of death, their soul weakens. Matt had long ago left America to go to Europe, so that there was no chance of his soul disappearing. Currently, he was in England. He knew some languages, but preferred English as that was his native tongue when he was alive.

The home was dark and not exactly messy, but not tidy either. The living room was filled with computers and monitors and televisions. No wonder the boy had been at Best Buy earlier. Maybe he was some sort of hacker. The boy took off his sunglasses and placed them on a coffee table. Matt could see that the boy had clear blue eyes that were oddly angular. The boy went into the kitchen, where a slouchy man with dark, spiky hair was eating cereal.

"Mello. Did you get the cords I asked for? It is alright if they weren't there." The man's voice was low and smooth. So the boy was named Mello. Matt liked that name. It was very soft, yet still carried distinction. A good name.

"No, but I did get superpowers. It sounds silly, but I think it's true. The wind was definitely too light, and anyway, it couldn't have held the box over my head in place. And I know for a fact that there wasn't an invisible platform."

The man nodded slowly. Despite Mello's not actual explanation, the man held no hint of confusion in his features. "Okay. Can I see it, then?"

Mello brightened. "Yeah!"

He stared at the box of cereal on the kitchen counter. Matt didn't know what possessed him to do it, but he picked up the cereal box.

 **I'm going to attempt to write one page per day. Each chapter will most** **likely be only one page. This** **will probably be MattxMello, which although I don't personally ship, I'm writing this for a friend. Thanks for reading =^.^=**


	3. a nice garden

The man dropped his spoon. Mello smiled at him. Slowly, Matt lowered the box back down. Why did he do that? Now Mello would continue to think he had superpowers. Man, Matt was just making this worse. What was he going to do now? He supposed that he could continue this facade. It was a pretty bad idea, but better than the other options. "See L! I told you."

So this was the L that Mello had called earlier. Why was his name a letter? Humans were so odd now a days. L picked up his spoon and continued eating his cereal. "So it seems."

Mello's face fell. The blond boy muttered something and left the room. Matt thought about following him, but decided against it. He floated through the back door into the backyard. Unlike the front yard, the grass was neatly trimmed and rows of blossoming flowers fluttered in the breeze. Matt wondered who took care of the garden, while leaving the front so messy. There was a porch swing, and Matt sat on it absentmindedly. This was the most interesting thing to happen to him since he went to Pax Prime a couple years ago. And gaming conventions didn't last as long as this might.

Matt was curious about this family. When he had been alive, he was an orphan, and constantly moving from home to home. Something about this house seemed peculiar. No normal family would have computers everywhere and such an odd atmosphere. If he stayed long enough, maybe he figure out what was going on. That was another question. He wasn't sure how long he should stay. A plan of action would be the best thing to do. Sooner or later, he would have to confront Mello. Or maybe not. He could just leave without a trace at some point, but there was no fun in that. Plus, he would feel bad about leaving Mello with no explanation of what happened. That, in turn, could psychologically damage him.

He paused in his swinging to look inside the house through the glass door. A boy with white hair stared at him through the glass. Matt held his breath, and then realized that the boy was staring at the moving swing. It was a still evening with no wind, and nothing that could have moved the swing. The boy made one last look towards the swing, then left. This family seemed odder and odder. It wasn't natural for a boy to have white hair, so he must have dyed it or something.

Matt floated back inside the house. By the looks of it, Mello was now having dinner with the boy. Matt leaned against the wall and listened. "Look, Near, you can ask L. He saw it! I don't know why it didn't work when I tried to show you."

Oh. Matt didn't think that Mello was going to try it again soon, and it front of someone. This was probably the worst thought out plan he had ever had.

The dinner was just some sort of salad. Mello had a chocolate bar next to his plate, and took a bite every so often. Matt wondered if he had some sort of health issue.

"I don't think it's superpowers. I think it's a ghost," Near said softly.


	4. he has black nail polish

Mello scoffed. "You've got to be joking."

"No, I assure you I am not. There has been scientific proof of supernatural evidence. For instance, the Global Consciousness Project consisted of a machine that would-"

"I'm going to stop you right there. Just because you don't have powers and I get to be special and unique for once in my life doesn't mean you can just slam dunk it in the trash!" Mello got up violently, pushing his hands on the table. He relaxed and pushed his bangs away from his face. "If L needs me, I'll be in my room, okay?"

Near retained a bored look on his face as Mello strode out of the room. Matt felt sick to his ghostly stomach. He didn't want this family to fall apart because he accidentally tricked this poor dude into thinking he had powers. Aw man, this was all his fault. There was no way that he could continue on like this. He had to confront Mello and tell him that it had been him all along. If he didn't, the consequences could be dire.

Never had Matt shown himself fully to a human. It was a tad harder to him than moving objects, as it required focus on manipulating light waves. He could still do it, of course, but it wasn't his preference. With even a tinsy bit more focus, he could even manipulate his form to the one before his death. It made him nervous, though. What if he did it wrong? What if only a disembodied head showed up, and it completely freaked Mello out? For some reason, he felt the need for Mello to be okay with him. Because Mello looked awesome all the time and he… Wait what?

He was getting off track. As he watched Mello stride away from the kitchen, he felt eyes on him. Matt turned away from the exit and towards the table. Dark, round eyes were staring at him. Did Near see him? He waved his hand through the air. The eyes squinted, then he went back to eating his salad. That was close. He had heard rumors of those with Sight, who could see ghosts without them appearing. Usually these gifted people ended up in mental wards unfortunately.

He drifted down the hallway to look through the rooms. There was a large, empty bedroom that held nothing but a bed with blankets. Another room was filled with card buildings, high enough to touch the ceiling. Matt looked closer and was surprised to see tarot cards. The room on the end of the hallway was the last one he chose to check. That must be Mello's room. Its door was shut, this meant Matt could either flow through it, or open it. Flowing through was slightly uncomfortable as it felt like you were walking through jello-like air. Opening it would possibly alert Mello of his presence before he wanted to reveal himself, and that could be equally disastrous.

He paused. Matt didn't know why he was so worried about scaring Mello or getting an unwarranted reaction. It wasn't like he mattered. But somewhere he kept feeling like it did. Taking a deep breath(which didn't do anything to him but calm his nerves) he flowed through the wall.

Inside, the room was dark, with wooden shades pulled over a window. The furniture was heavy wood with odd embellishments. Bookcases lined the walls, and were filled to the brim with novels. Mello was sitting on a wooden chair next to a desk. A computer sat in front of him. His screen was on a search of the Global Consciousness Project.

Mello had a deep frown on his face as he clicked his way through the browser. Matt steeled himself. He had to do it. Otherwise he would feel super guilty for years to come. He focused, thinking about what he looked like before he died.

His form began to appear, flickering between his body covered in gunshot wounds and a healthy one. Finally he was able to settle. He tried to think about what he was going to say. Of course, he spoke before he had a coherent thought.

"Um, hi-"

In an instant Mello had spun around and somehow acquired a gun from somewhere and was pointing it at him. Matt flinched. Guns still kinda freaked him out, after y'know. His death.

"Who are you? Who do you work for? How did you get in here? This is a test isn't it?" Mello fired off questions one after the other.

"I'm, uh, Matt, and uh I work for myself I guess? And-, can you put the gun down please. It's not cool." Matt awkwardly adjusted his goggles, his hand blinking in view and out for a second.

Mello's face lit up in shock for a second before returning to the fierce glare. "W-what was that!"

"I'll tell you. Just chill. Okay, so um. I'm Matt, right. And you're Mello. And-"

"I know my own name!" Mello said, but he placed the gun on the desk within easy reach.

Matt relaxed a bit. "Okay. So. I'm a ghost."

"A ghost? I didn't know, I mean. It makes sense. How else would you have gotten here? And you flickered for a second, like an illusion! But you're talking! So you have to be a ghost," Mello said, his tone pitching up as he got excited. His face fell. "So Near was right. As usual. I don't actually have powers, do I."

Matt was happy he didn't have to explain. But also sad. Because Mello looked so disappointed. "Hey, don't be down about it. Sure, you might not have super powers but that doesn't mean you're not cool!"

Mello's gaze went to him. "If you're the reason that I've been able to move things… Why are you here? Why did you save me from that computer box?"

Matt felt flustered. He didn't know what to say. After all, he himself didn't know the answer to that question. So he said the first thing that came to mind. "'Cause you're awesome."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yeah. These books all over your room? I doubt most people your age could read through the first chapter. You are entirely unique." His voice became quiet. Maybe he should have said more, but he felt unable.

Mello's eyes went wide. "But-"

"Mello. I wouldn't have saved you from that box if I hadn't thought you were special."

"So that explains why you saved me… But then you followed me home? That's kinda creepy," said Mello.

Matt flickered for a second in embarrassment. "I, uh. Was bored?"

The blond smirked. "Sureeeee."

"Do you want me to go?" He asked uncertainly. Matt had nothing else to do but play video games. And he didn't want to leave Mello just yet. There was something about him that made him want to stay.

"What? Of course not. You're a ghost. That's amazing. I want to learn all about you. This is the most interesting thing to happen to me in awhile. Wait until Near finds out I figured something out before he did…" Despite Mello talking about basically wanting to know about a sensitive subject, Matt was comfortable with telling him.

His eyes looked like the sky when he was happy. Bright and blue and full of sunshine. Matt forgot he was dead when he looked into them.

Being a ghost was not fun at all. You couldn't eat food. You could appear to people, but only one person at a time. When you died you couldn't go within 50 miles of your death spot or you could slowly disappear over exposure. No one saw you, and it was really weird having people walk through you. All in all, it was boring.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I'm Mello," he said, holding out a hand. Black nail polish stood out against his pale skin.

"I'm Matt," he replied, and nervously went to shake the hand. The first time it passed through, and so he concentrated and was able to shake.

Mello blinked in surprise. "Your hand, it's warm."

"It is?" Matt wouldn't know. He hadn't felt temperature in awhile.

"It's nice," Mello whispered, just loud enough for Matt to catch.

Matt flickered and dropped Mello's hand. "Sorry."

Mello smiled softly. "Can you tell me about ghosts?You don't have to, of course."

He was getting really tired of concentrating on his form. Saying no meant not being able to talk to Mello, however. "I-I can," Matt said tiredly. "What's your first question?"

"How come I didn't know about ghosts?"

"There aren't that many ghosts, first of all. I've only met two my entire, um, 'ghosthood'. To become a ghost, there are two things required. One is that you were murdered. Two is that you sacrificed yourself for someone. So there's not that many because of that. And, um, every time that we talk to someone who is alive, our soul drains a bit. When your soul drains completely, you're no longer a ghost. And since we don't know where you go when you die, most of us try not to talk to anyone."

"Wait! Stop! What are you doing? If you're talking to me right now, your soul is draining. Don't do this to yourself." Mello was distraught.

"If I wasn't prepared to die, I wouldn't have let myself die. So how is it any different now?" Matt was confused. Why did Mello care? After all, they did just meet.

"Because… I don't know. Just stop talking, okay?" He ruffled his blond hair with his hand distractedly.

"Um, okay," Matt replied, still befuddled. He was met with a glare.

"Here, take this paper," said Mello, and handed him a notepad and a pen, "and write down whatever you're going to say."

Matt looked down at the notepad. Then ripped it in half. "Nah. That would take too long."

The response was a noise of irritation. Matt felt flattered for some reason. Like this guy he just met cared enough about him not to let him drift away. It was strange. He was used to not being noticed, used to no one thinking about him. When he died, only his sister had shown up for the funeral. She still brought flowers every week to his grave. Every so often he would find a computer and hack into Facebook to find if she was alright.

It was always his belief that someone should always be there for someone else. That way, no one was alone. Matt had been alone for about five years. Aimlessly walking around, playing the latest video game. The world seemed to change while he was gone, but not because he was gone. And that's what made him sad.

He didn't know what to do. Should he stay? Should he go? It was uncertain if Mello found Matt annoying or not. And he didn't want to be troublesome for Mello. The guy should be out having fun, dating girls, playing… Sports? Anyway, he didn't want to be like that weird ghost that hangs around and bugs people. Like Casper.

He left the house without a goodbye or a single word.


	5. all the flowers

A week later, Matt found himself standing on the sidewalk outside the grey home. He hadn't been thinking while walking, and his feet had carried him there. Guilt had riddled his stomach since he had left without a word. Matt was never that good at talking to people, and so when things made him uncomfortable he usually fled. A bad character trait, honestly.

The house was most likely locked, so he went around the gate and opened it to the backyard. Among the rows of flowers was a figure, carefully tending the delicate plants. It was Mello. He had his hair pulled back, leaving his bangs hanging in his face. It was surprising not to see him wearing leather, instead he had on a black t shirt and sports shorts. His brow wrinkled as he pulled up a weed.

The boy stopped for a second and pointed at a bush. Pale flowers with yellow stamens peeked through the leaves. "These are Camellias. Native to southeast Asia. Their colors range from white to red, but Near likes the white ones best. They mean visions of loveliness, something that is mellow yet takes your breath away. Pretty sappy, but whenever I get to say my name in context it's fun."

Matt shivered. "How did you know I was here?"

Mello ignored him and smoothed the dirt with his hands. "I thought I had imagined you. When little kids are lonely they usually have imaginary friends, and I thought that had happened to me."

Why did he have to do this? Every time something was going good he had to ruin it. Mello probably hated him now. Now he would never become friends with him and then- Wait. Why was he so intrigued in Mello? Why was he so desperate to bask in his attention and listen to what the boy had to say? He was angry at himself. Nothing he did was making sense.

Mello turned to face him. He didn't look angry, just sad. "Why do you keep showing up and giving me hope and then just leaving?" His eyes hardened. "Answer me!" He picked up a trowel and threw it at Matt. It passed through him and landed on the grass.

"I-"

"Stop. Just leave. I don't care," said Mello bitterly. "I don't know you and you don't know me anyways."

"I want to know you," he replied, barely a whisper.

Mello went eerily still. "No you don't. If you did, you wouldn't have left me without a single word, after all that you told me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do. I just… I haven't really talked to anyone in two years. And you seemed so interested, and I just knew that I was going to disappoint you sooner or later. And… I like you, Mello."

"What do you mean?"

Matt sat down next to him. Little flower petals floated in the breeze. Some landed in Mello's hair, and he didn't notice. In the sunlight, little freckles were visible on his nose and cheeks. His scar did nothing to deter from his appearance, and gave him a look of wisdom beyond his years. The boy's eyes searched Matt's face, trying to find answers.

"I met you a week ago. For that short time that we talked, I have to say you're the most interesting person I've ever met. And I can't believe you actually wanted to know about ghosts. Like I'm just a stupid dusty dead person, nowhere near as full of life as you," said Matt. He was uncomfortable. That was the most he had talked in forever.

"Pfft. A ghost, being boring? A ghost? Seriously? C'mon Matt, that's just stupid," he said, but he was smiling.

"You were the one that was mad at me. And I didn't want you, someone who is so-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Mello interrupted, "you love me and whatever."

"What? That's not what I was going to say." Matt shifted on the grass.

"You don't deny it! See, you do love me. I mean, who doesn't. I am the best."

It was amazing how he had gone from angry to teasing so fast. It was like a storm quickly becoming a sunny day. Everything about Mello somehow reminded Matt of sunshine. His bright hair, his calm eyes. Sometimes sunshine could be scorching, or pleasant and warming. Exactly like the person sitting in front of him, gardening.

"What's wrong?" Mello asked. He didn't seem concerned, rather he was more curious.

"Nothing," he replied.

Mello looked uncertain. "Okay, good. I thought you got upset from me saying that you loved me. Sometimes L says I'm not one to pay attention to people's feelings. Like he's one to talk."

"Is L like your dad?"

A laugh burst from Mello. "No, of course not! We don't look alike, do we? I hope not. Anyways, he's like Near and I's… Guardian, I guess? I might tell you. Later. I dunno yet."

He shifted uncomfortably on the grass. It was obvious that he still was upset over Matt. That made his stomach feel like a thousand butterflies running into each other and possibly dying. Yes, that explained it. The ghost felt like he was always messing things up.

"Man, I'm sorry. We just met and I've already ruined everything. Just like in my past life."

Mello perked up. "Who were you? In your past life, I mean."

"That doesn't matter."

The blond pouted. "That's not fair. I have to tell you all my secrets but you don't tell me yours?"

"Fine, fine. Okay so- I'm from America. I was raised in Oregon. My parents owned an art gallery. They're still alive, I tried talking to them… It didn't work. Dunno why. And I have a sister. She and I were really close. In school, I wasn't the popular kid. I had a few friends. Most people thought I was weird because of my appearance. Got voted 'most fashionable' though. Biggest accomplishment of my life," he snickered. "I was super good at computers. That's it."

"That's it? That's it? Those are terrible secrets and facts about you! I already knew half of them just by the time you said hello to me!"

"Huh?"

"Don't act so surprised, it was obvious. You had an accent, but it was wasn't quite like a Southern or East coast one. That lowered it down to Western United States. You're dressed in a long sleeve t-shirt and jeans, and although it could've been winter or fall when you died, it was most likely you were from farther north because the difference in temperature would have made you worn more layers despite the actual weather(if you had been from the South West). So that left either Washington, Oregon, or Idaho. I took a wild guess at Oregon.

Your parents are obviously free-spirited, or they wouldn't have let you wear goggles when you aren't swimming, nor color your hair. But their job would have to be stable, otherwise your leather boots couldn't have been afforded. Plus I knew you were good at computers because you're a nerd."

"Hey!" Matt felt insulted, but smiled. "That's not true!"

"Oh yeah? For MTG, do you prefer playing Island or Plains?" Mello asked.

"Uh, well usually I use Forest with a lot of Artifacts but-"

"Nerrrrrrrddddddd," said Mello. He was smirking.

"That's rude. Very rude, in fact. You know what. I'm going to go. Bye," he waved his hand.

Mello's eyes grew wide. "Wait." He reached for Matt's arm. His hand went right through.

Matt sighed. "I'm sorry-"

"That's cool," he replied, now moving his arm in and out.

"Mello, who are you talking to?" A quiet voice came from behind.

Matt almost had a heart attack. Well. If he had a beating heart. It was that kid, Near. Who was kinda creepy. With his weird white hair and pajamas he looked more ghostly than Matt to be honest. What even was with him anyway. He always somehow made eye contact despite Matt not projecting to him. Maybe he was some sort of sixth sense person?

"Just the flowers, I heard that talking to them makes them grow more healthy." He said it so casually it seemed like the truth.

"Your hand?" Near's voice was completely monotone.

"There was a bug. Don't judge me Near. Go away. You're annoying."

Near didn't seem to be affected at all. "Alright. I'll leave you two alone." His eyes met Matt's and he winked, then trudged back into the house.

"Finally!" Mello said, exasperated. "Anyways-"

"He said you two," Matt interrupted.

"Oh. That… probably means something. Maybe he can see you? But, wait a second. You said only I could see you." He looked a bit upset.

"I don't know. I think he has some sort of sixth sense. This hasn't happened before, I swear," Matt readjusted his goggles nervously.

Mello frowned and furrowed his brow. He appeared to be in deep thought. He sat motionless for a few seconds, before standing up. "Another stupid thing Near has to be better at! Soon you'll not even like me, and Near will steal you away like everything else good in my life. I'm just so frustrated! I finally meet someone who's awesome and of course Near has to come and ruin it! Agghhh!" He threw a gardening tool.

Matt grabbed his shoulders. And stared at him. "He's not going to take me. I'm here to stay. If ya want."

Mello was so surprised. Matt felt his face heat up a bit. He carefully let go. "But that's only if you want me to. You did call me awesome, which is pretty good so that might mean you do want me to stay. But only if you want me to."

Mello smiled softly. "Of course I do, stupid. Hey can you make yourself tangible for a second?"

His face must've looked so weird. What was Mello going to do? What if he kissed him or something? But Matt was a ghost. He stressed, but made himself touchable.

The other boy became closer and Matt stopped thinking coherently. His thoughts were more like just screaming. Mello raised his arms… and gave him a hug. Of course that's what he was going to do. Yep. Okay. Matt totally knew that. Mello felt warm and soft, and smelt like fresh dirt and chocolate.

"You smell weird. Like...metallic-y. Like… bullets," Mello said, letting go and frowning. "Probably from your death, right? That sucks. This whole thing sucks. Why can't you be alive."


End file.
